Monday, April 16, 2012

Okay, today's post is going to be crazy long and ridiculously picture-heavy, but please stick with me, because I think you'll find it's worth it.

Backing up, on Friday, I posted about some 99-cent palettes at Walgreen's. Basically, I said they didn't suck, and that 12 shadows for a buck was a deal too good to pass up. They're about the same consistency as MAC shadows, are wonderfully pigmented (considering the cost, anyway), and looked like they might possibly contain some Urban Decay dupes. I also said that they looked uber-glittery in the pan, but that it didn't seem to show up as sparkly on skin. So far, that's the only thing I've been wrong about.

These suckers are beyond glittery. Sometimes, that's a good thing. Unfortunately, I'd planned to use these for film, and glitter doesn't usually work for that. Plus, they fallout something awful. Still and all, I have to recommend these. There are ways of getting around fallout, and my UD Midnight Emergency is just as bad, if not worse. Also, I should point out that not all of the Profusion Cosmetic Colour Me Glow palettes are glitter palettes. Since my last post, I've picked up two more. Palettes 05, 06, 07, and 08, have chunky glitter. Palettes 03 and 04 are shimmer only. I tossed those in my film makeup kit and called it a win.
*Please note: there are no matte shades. Only shimmer and glitter.

Saturday, I decided to give the shadows a test drive. I used three colors from palette 07:

Yeah, I know, my brows are a mess. Also, I was standing under a vent for that first shot, so my hair's going all over the place. The first shot was indoors, and the second was in sunlight. The shadows feel awesome going on, blend well, and are nice colors, if a little sheer. Some hues need to be packed on, and some are incredibly pigmented. It's just hit or miss, but for a buck, I can deal.

I applied them over a sticky pencil primer (I used UD Sin, but NYX would be a good choice, too), and they held up fairly well. These shots were taken a couple of hours apart, and there's no creasing. There is, however, a ton of glitter, obviously, and it took some serious cleaning up to be able to walk out of the house without feeling like a disco ball. That said, I wore UD Midnight Emergency colors on Sunday, and had the same experience.

I'm not going to rate this on a scale of 1-10, like I usually do. The shadows are just too varied for that. There are enough really good, quality, pigmented shadows that I can confidently say you'd get more than your money's worth. Heck, if you find just one that you love in each palette, you're ahead of the game. When in Walgreen's, do yourself a favor and grab a couple. You'll be glad that you did.

And...as I mentioned before, there were a few Urban Decay Midnight Emergency and Naked 2 dupes. A couple aren't exact, but are really, really close. A couple, however, are spot on. Let's take a look at Midnight Emergency:

Here, we have on the left, Midnight Cowboy and a close imposter from Profusion palette 06. It's not right on the money--a little too pink, not enough gold--but I'd put it at about 75%. On the right, though, are Midnight Rodeo, and a dead ringer, also from 06. In fact, they're right next to each other in the pan. They're the third and second shadows (respectively), in the middle section of the palette.

Here's a pretty spot-on dupe for AC/DC, also from Midnight Emergency:

The dupe is on the left, and AC/DC is on the right. The Profusion shade is a little brighter, but so close that I'd put it at about 90%. It's in the middle section of palette 04, and is the fourth shade in that row.

It's the one in the center, next to the pink.

Okay, now on to Naked 2 dupes. There are three, and they're actually three of my most used colors:

I was so excited over this one! Chopper is one of my favorite colors out of Naked 2, and Profusion has a near exact dupe. Chopper has a little more depth to it, but I'd call this about 90%. It's in palette 03.

Suspect (also in the Rollergirl palette) also has a reasonable dupe in palette 03. It's a little warmer, and again, lacks some of the depth of it's UD counterpart, but I'd give it a solid 85%.

Chopper's dupe is the middle shade on the left side of palette 03. Suspect's imposter is the one right below.

This dupe (on the left) for Busted (on the right) is, possibly, a smidge cooler, but it's about a 95%. You might get some glitter with it (I didn't here, but you could), but I was shocked at how similar these were. It's in palette 05, middle section, fifth shade.

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The one in the center, here, next to the light beige.

I really hope this has helped some, and that you've enjoyed this little search for cheap alternatives. Let me know what you think (and how you think I did!) in the comments.

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One quick disclaimer: I am a highly opinionated person, and all opinions in this blog are my own. I have received no compensation for my reviews. Just so you know. Okay, kids, that's out of the way, so go have fun!

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I'm an actor, singer, indie film producer, beauty junkie, coffee addict, and recreational cake decorator. I have been known, on occasion, to associate with adorable zombies and various other cuddly creatures of the night. Thanks for hanging out with me!